Let My Love Be The Light That Guides You Home
by that-first-glance-feeling
Summary: It's almost Valentine's day and Killian and Emma end up falling through a time portal. Arriving at Killian's childhood home, they meet his mother, his younger self and Liam, who is about to join the navy. Finding their way back to the future will prove much harder this time around with Killian wanting to change the future and save Liam from his tragic death. Will he?
1. One

**A/N: Hello there, cupcakes! Before you ask, no I have definitely not forgotten about **_Far Away_** and I already have the skeleton of the next chapter all written down just waiting for me to add some flesh to it. This is my story for my CS Secret Valentine on tumblr, and I hope you enjoy all the Jones family feels :)**

**Edit:** I've made a few changes on the bit about Milah and Killian's relationship after a lovely reviewer pointed out the little discrepancy there. *hands over cupcake with a post-it note that reads _Thanks for the heads up! xx_*

* * *

**_Chapter One_**

* * *

_And in the wind of a heavy choice love has a quiet voice,_  
_Still your mind, now I'm yours to choose_

* * *

She was still holding the small card filled with his curly writing between her fingers as her arms were wrapped around his neck. They're sitting on a bench at the docks and she's got her legs over his, half-sitting on his lap, his hooked arm is around her waist holding her firmly in place while his fingers play with a few strands of her hair. A beautiful arrangement of pink and white orchids with a white ribbon neatly tied around the plastic pot sits just beside them on the bench.

(_"Perhaps gratitude is in order now, Swan." He'd tapped his lips with his index finger, eyebrows wiggling suggestively, just as he'd done on their very first kiss._

_"Do you really think you can pull that off again?"_)

(As it turned out, her adorable idiot pirate boyfriend most definitely could.)

"So, any special reason behind the flowers or are you just surprising me with your gentleman ways again?"

"I did tell you time and again that I'm always a gentleman, love." He chuckled, twirling another lock of her hair around his fingers. "But I thought I should give you something special after Henry told me about a tradition of this realm called Valentine's day."

"Oh, did he forget to mention Valentine's day is not actually for another couple of days?"

"He did mention the exact date, Swan. I just wanted to give you a gift to enjoy your day off your duties as sheriff - which should be a more common occurrence, if I may add."

"Thank you, I love them." She placed a kiss right above the scar on his cheek before tracing it with her thumb. "And I'm afraid this town needs the Saviour-Sheriff Swan on daily duty otherwise all hell would break loose right under our noses."

"Well perceived, love." He added with an eye roll mimicking her trademark that earned a light shove on his shoulder.

"Did you have anything like Valentine's day to celebrate love back in your land?" Emma suddenly asked him, averting her gaze to hide the blush stealing upon her cheeks when she realised she'd said _the word _to him. Which, of course, he noticed, but he didn't want to press her on the topic, giving her the time and space she needed instead, so he simply tucked it away along with his happiest memories of them being _together_.

Killian stayed silent for a moment, visibly concentrating to search through his 300 years worth of memories. "Not exactly, but we did celebrate anniversaries quite like you do over here."

"Did you? Ever celebrate an anniversary, I mean." Emma asked looking deep into his eyes. She didn't want to pry, and if he didn't wish to talk about it then she wouldn't insist, but she _was_ curious to know.

"No. Milah always felt it would be wrong in some ways given she'd ran away from a marriage, albeit an unhappy one. She didn't regret leaving the crocodile, but she naturally felt remorseful for abandoning Baelfire with such a father." He said with a wistful sigh. "Had we been together under different circumstances, though, I believe we would certainly celebrate our anniversaries together."

He lifted his eyes to find Emma's understanding gaze, only to quickly turn away and stare at the water. She could see how he wanted to share more but the memories seemed to form a lump on his throat, one he needed a little more time to swallow before continuing. In the mean time, she thought she could offer him silent caresses hoping it would help soothe his silent pain a little.

She pressed feather-light kisses along his jaw and neck before letting her head settle on his shoulder, her right hand coming down from the nape of his neck to trace mindless patterns along his collarbone over the fabric of his navy button down.

"My- my parents always celebrated their anniversary every year without fail." He said, his voice barely above a whisper, while his arm came around her shoulders to bring her closer to his side, as if he feared she would run away the mere mention of his troubled, tragic past.

She was definitely done running from him, but she was not expecting_ this._

"Every year my father would bring my mother flowers for her garden. She would smile so bright and cook us an amazing dinner those nights." He swallowed hard. "After he left us she- she would pluck the most beautiful flowers from the garden and leave them outside our front door. Every year. She never stopped hoping he'd come back eventually."

Emma looked at his profile with tears prickling her eyes, but she couldn't see meet his gaze as he seemed transfixed by the surface of the water. Bringing her hand up to cup his cheek and gently turn his face to her, she felt her heart sink when she saw the devastated look in his stormy blue gaze. She pressed a soft but firm kiss to his lips and leaned her forehead against his, feeling his entire body still under her touch.

Killian had walls of his own, alright, but she'd be damned if she would give up tearing them down, brick by brick, just as he'd relentlessly done for her until she finally let him in.

After a beat or two, he sighed against her lips and she could almost _see_ the tension gradually slipping from his shoulders. He wrapped both arms around her, holding on to her like a captain keeps a white-knuckle grip on the helm of his ship during a storm. And then slowly - tentatively, as though he was afraid of her not wanting him anymore - his lips finally found their way home to her warm, welcoming kiss.

* * *

_Apparently taking a day off is definitely not in the cards for the Saviour_, Emma thought as she kept her hands in tight fists on her sides getting ready to run into the woods with Killian on her right, David, Regina and Philip respectively on her left.

The dwarves had barged into Granny's to alert David and Mary Margaret of some suspicious movement they spotted in the forest, and the Charmings had immediately called the Sheriff and her second deputy out of their day off to join them on the ambush.

"Let's go in." Philip said, with a mask of confidence hiding his nervousness as he unsheathed his sword, Killian and David following suit and promptly sticking their blades out as well. "We can't waste any more time waiting for dusk. What if Maleficent's already hurt her?" He added, his voice on the verge of breaking.

"The prince is right." Regina said, nodding at Philip. "I'm sure the baby is safe, but we can't risk letting them have enough time to open the portal and change everything about our lives as we know them."

They charged avidly into the woods and it didn't take longer than five minutes for them to reach the clearing where Maleficent stood in front of some tracks forming a circular shape on the floor. Cruella and Ursula were standing on both her sides - the former held Philip and Aurora's baby in her arms with a grimace as the chubby little girl tugged at the hairs in her fur coat.

"Give us the baby now." David's calm voice echoed between the trees surrounding the clearing, the Queens of Darkness turning around at the sound with less than impressed expressions on their faces.

"We can't do that, darling." Maleficent explained calmly. "This brilliant little girl here is going to be much more useful to me than both her parents." She added, nodding at Cruella, who moved a few steps back and carefully put the baby down on one of the baskets situated at four perpendicular corners inside the circle - the other three contained a golden replica of the Dark One's brain, who was nowhere to be seen, an iron shield with the family crest of Philip and Aurora's kingdom, and a red beating heart with a light dark stain inside it.

"What do you plan on doing with her?" Philip demanded in his best royal tone.

"Why, we're about to open a time portal." Cruella announced proudly. "Don't fret, dear. We're just going to correct a few mistakes that were made along the way and take our happy endings at last."

"I wouldn't worry too much about the baby if I were you," Ursula added, "in a few minutes you won't remember you ever had a daughter, or a wife."

"Go!" Emma suddenly shouted. Killian charged at Ursula with his sword while Regina quickly took his place at Emma's side, both women raising their arms to shoot white and red rays of magic at Maleficent, who easily countered them with her own powers.

Philip and David ran to Cruella and surrounded the fur-clad woman, bringing both their swords to her chest when Ursula's voice stopped their movements.

"Hurt my friend and you'll be down one dirty pirate." Ursula's deep chuckle rang in their ears as she raised Killian up from the floor, her tentacles wrapped tightly all over his body. "Look, ladies. It seems I've caught a codfish."

"I am no codfish you monstrous octopus." Killian managed to say before Ursula tightened her grip on his throat making him gasp for air.

"Killian!" Emma shouted from her where she stood still beside Regina, paralysed as she watched Killian wriggling in the tentacles of the sea witch (though, in her mind, she'd always change the last word for one more appropriate that sounded quite like the original term), the white rays coming out of her palms starting to flicker as her face contorted into panic. Maleficent was quick to use the opportunity to intensify her blast of magic, knocking both Emma and Regina down to the floor.

"Now, where were we?" Maleficent said turning her back to them, waving her arms back and forth above the circular tracks until a purple flame appeared in front of the basket with Philip's stolen shield, quickly moving along the tracks passing by the Dark One's brain, the baby, and the heart respectively, at which point the circle was all lit up with fire and a portal opened right in the middle of it.

Maleficent smiled triumphantly, admiring her creation and letting out a maniac laughter, effectively making the blood of every single good-hearted person on that clearing run cold in their veins.

"Swan, now!" Killian shouted inadvertently before biting down on Ursula's tentacle, kicking and elbowing her as she started to loosen her grip on his body.

Emma raised her hands again, Regina following her movements after coming to terms with her own thoughts and emotions to produce light magic this time. Together, the two of them sent out a powerful blast of bright white rays that quickly brought Maleficent down to her hands and knees in front of them.

Charming proceeded to hold his sword against Cruella's throat and trap her against a nearby tree, while Philip rushed to take his baby from the basket and hold her in his arms, using his cape to protect them from the flames as he jumped over the fire tracks and swiftly made his way out of the circle.

"No!" Maleficent screamed, still on her knees, watching the flames going out as the portal started to close, her cheeks burning red with anger.

Suddenly Ursula growled and wrapped a tentacle around Killian's foot just as he had finally managed to escape the loop of her slimy inhuman limbs, lifting his lower body from the ground and haphazardly tossing him into the centre of the closing portal before five pairs of shocked eyes.

"Killian!" Emma shouted. She scrambled up to her feet and ran to the small opening on the floor, jumping straight into it without thinking twice before the portal closed up after her.

* * *

Killian landed on his back in the middle of the woods with a reverberating thud. He was in the process of raising himself up on his elbows and scanning his surroundings when a warm body and golden hair that smelled of wildflowers collapsed over him, bringing them both back down.

He couldn't help the chuckle that fell from lips as he felt their bodies pressed together from head to toe - quite literally - and he let his hands wander around her lower back, slowly going up to the nape of her neck and her hair. He asked if she was okay, only to get a low moan in response as she pushed herself up to face him, her hands finding support on his shoulders.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here, Swan?" He tried his best to sound angry but he was powerless to fight the smile tugging at his lips at the sight of her bright green eyes searching his face with so much concern he could swear his heart was doing a little flip inside his chest.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry, I didn't know I'd land right on-"

"Swan, breathe. I'm alright." Her golden tresses were cascading around them, enveloping their heads and making it seem as though the entire world was just the two of them right now, their faces so close that their breaths mingled, and he brought his hand to her cheek before speaking in a more serious tone. "What are you doing here, love?"

She beamed at him in response. "I guess I just missed you too much." She said with a nonchalant shrug. "What does it look like I'm doing? Of course I came after you."

"That I can tell, Swan. In case you've forgotten," he said and kissed the tip of her nose after she scrunched it up sending him a mock glare, "I'm still quite perceptive."

She rolled her eyes and pushed her body up from his the rest of the way, bringing her thighs to his sides and straddling his hips. He sat up and let his arms dart to her hips, holding her impossibly closer to him.

"Why did you do this, love?" He asked her with a sigh. "You of all people should know just how dangerous it is to travel back in time. We almost wiped away your existence the last time this happened."

"Did you actually think I'd leave you to find your way back on your own?"

"I was sort of hoping that you would."

"Absolutely not. Killian, you are my family. I'll never let you go so long as I have a say in the matter. Which I did. And-" She held his face with both her hands and hoped her eyes would somehow convey all the sincerity in her words to him. "_I choose you_."

Reading three quite different words in her eyes - _an open book as always his Swan_ \- he found himself at a loss for words, so rare an event that he could count on his fingers how many times it'd happened before. Completely unable to speak, he decided to give her a taste of his feelings and crashed his lips on hers, the breathtaking mixture of heat, tongue, and quiet desperation, plus the familiar prickling of magic radiating from Emma's skin enough to make their heads spin when they finally pulled away.

"So, any idea _when _your mind took us?" Emma asked him after taking a few moments to regain her breath while resting her forehead against his. "You were the first to come through the portal this time."

"I was thinking of us when Ursula hurled me in the air and I fell through." he said with a thoughtful look on his face as he stood up, holding Emma closely against him with his hooked arm on her lower back and his hand supporting one of her thighs, keeping her legs wrapped firmly around his waist. "But I believe we would have come to a much more suitable location than the middle of some woods had the portal read my wishes correctly."

Emma bit her lip trying to reign down the adrenaline coursing through her veins at the way he was looking at her like he simultaneously wanted to tear her apart and worship her every inch. "Before we get to that, maybe it'd be a good idea to start moving and see if we can find out _where _we are." She said, climbing down from him with clear reluctance and rolling her eyes at his subsequent pouting.

They trudged through the muddy ground and made their winding way around the trees until it seemed they had reached the end of the woods.

"What about us exactly were you thinking of before?" She asked as they stopped to take in the view of a small village surrounded by a few stables and crop fields.

Emma then realised her _particular_ choice of words and braced herself for his typical innuendo, but when none came she got actually worried. She turned to face him finding a shocked and devastated expression on his face, noticing the way his chest was suddenly heaving. "Killian?"

"I was thinking about the conversation we had earlier about my-" He finally torn his gaze away from the village to meet Emma's concerned gaze. "I was thinking about my home."

* * *

**PS: I haven't given this to my cssv yet, so I'm quite anxious about this story and any comments would be really appreciated :) **


	2. Two

**A/N: Woah, thank you so much for your response to this fic, cupcakes! You asked, and here it is - a quick update! And coming from _me _it's probably the holiday magic getting to me. Your reviews absolutely made my day, so here goes a special thank you for all of you who took the time to leave a review and let me know how you're finding this story :)**

**I hope you enjoy this part - there's lots of fluff and also a few revelations about Killian's family. I hope you're all having a wonderful Valentine's day! Love, B xxx**

**Edit: **thank you to _raconteur _and _rational _for kindly pointing out a few mistakes on my clearly unbeta'd story. I've done some editing on the previous and on this part thanks to your comments :)

* * *

**Chapter Two**

_All of the steps that led me to you,_  
_And all of the hell I've had to walk through_

* * *

After sitting on a fallen trunk near the edge of the woods for a considerable amount of time, they reached the brilliant conclusion that they still had no idea how to get back.

To the future.

_Yet again_.

Emma made a mental note to finally introduce Killian to Marty McFly once they got back home, who knows maybe they'd get some useful tips from the movie and be more prepared the next time this happened to them.

Okay, _no_. Twice was more than enough. She would _not _let herself start to accept the idea that this might be just another ordinary part of her ordinary life. Emma Swan did _not_ want to have a third time travelling adventure with Killian - she'd had her fill, thank you very much - but she couldn't shake the feeling that it was becoming too normal for them to go around traversing realms and time together.

"How about we try summoning Rumplestiltskin and use what we know about Neal to get him to help us again?" Emma suggested, though something in her gut already told her the answer she'd get.

"I don't think that's possible, love." Killian said, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out an exasperated huff. "Even if we could convince him to help us again, which I highly doubt since he hasn't even had a son yet, there's not much he could do for us. If that's really my mother's cottage," he pointed in the direction of the wooden shack situated on the right end of the village, "then we're about 200 years further back than last time. He's nothing but Rumplestiltskin, the village coward, at this point in time."

"Wait, are you saying you brought us back to your childhood?"

She was incredulous. For all the times she made fun of his age she could have never imagined one day she would have the chance to see him as a child. The prospect of meeting his family made her half excited and half nervous for some mysterious reason she filed away for later consideration. But would he even want her to meet the brother she had only heard a handful of tales about - all of which brought up memories that gave him that distant look of sorrow he always had when he thought of Liam - and the mother she'd never heard anything about?

"I'm afraid so, Swan. You should have believed me when I told you I was once a child."

"And here I thought you were just kidding when you said that." She earned an eyeroll from him as her answer, but she was happy to see traces of the smile he was trying to hide on the dimples peeking from his cheeks.

"Emma. Look up, love." He pressed a kiss to her temple when she did as she was told before bringing his left arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer into his side. "At least we can enjoy a quiet moment watching a beautiful sunset with no dwarves running mad around town announcing the newest deed of the Queens of Darkness."

Emma chuckled and reached her right hand across his lap to hold his hook between her fingers as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Do you think they're alright? In Storybrooke."

"I'm certain, Swan. The bloody Queens were defeated thanks to yours and Regina's combined magic, Prince Philip had his daughter back in his arms, all was well." He said, slowly running his hand up and down her arm in soothing circles. "Ursula only threw me into that portal in a whim of petty vengeance, but I'm sure everything else is in its right place."

"Yeah, I guess. Now we just have to find our way back somehow," she said in an uncertain tone.

"Which we will do soon enough. We've managed just fine the last time and it'll be the same now." He squeezed her shoulder lightly, reassuringly. "Don't worry, love. We've only to find a way to re-open the portal and we'll be home in no time, you'll see."

"Right. So, erm..." She pulled away a little to look at him. "I think it's about time you introduced me to your family, _love_." She said, mimicking his accent terribly but succeeding in breaking the dim mood they'd suddenly fallen into.

"Keep practicing, _love_. Maybe one day you'll get it right." He teased her, kissing the tip of her nose. "And though I know my mother would be as utterly captivated by you as I was when we first met, I don't think she'll be very happy to meet a man with a murderous hook for a hand." He lifted up his hook as though to prove his point.

Emma grabbed a hold of his hook again, taking it with both hands and running her thumbs along the smooth curve while Killian couldn't help but stare at her, fascinated with how she didn't seem repulsed by it in the least. She never really had been, now that he thought about it, and there was something to be said about her immediate and _complete_ acceptance of him_ -_ all limbs, scars and attachments included - which always made him fall even more in love with her than before, if that was possible.

"She may not be ecstatic about it, but if you start using some of those devilishly handsome smiles of yours I'm sure she won't refuse giving us a place to spend the night." She said wiggling her eyebrows at him - she was definitely not giving up on mocking his mannerisms anytime soon - and earning another eye roll from him that perfectly resembled her own. Adorable bastard.

"Don't you want to see your mother?" She asked in a more serious tone, searching his eyes for she knew not exactly what.

"Emma, I would love to see my mother again," he averted his gaze to the village, "it's _her _seeing _me _that I'm worried about."

"Killian..." She trailed off, unable to find the right words to calm the storm brewing in his eyes when he locked his gaze on hers. She'd never been too good with words anyway, so she simply placed a firm kiss on his lips before pulling away, cradling his face with both hands for a moment or two before speaking again. "She's still your mother, Killian. Nothing will ever change that."

He nodded silently and gave her a small smile, kissing her forehead as a thank you. "Also, Liam had travelled almost everywhere before he passed. He might know of another wizard that could help us, if he's home." He said the last words in a low voice, barely above a whisper

"Do you think he'd give that kind of information to two strangers?"

"There's only one way to find out, I suppose. But there's something else we need to do first." Killian said, a smirk finding its way to his lips.

"Really?" She'd be lying if she said she wasn't happy to sense there was an innuendo coming up soon - at least it was a small distraction from the painful memories of Liam.

"Why, Swan, of course this little detour to the past would have a bright side." He said, getting up from the trunk and offering Emma a hand to pull her up, bringing her straight into his arms and holding her flush against his chest when she took it, much like he'd done once upon a time when she saved him from a trip wire in a giant's castle above the clouds - _gods, _their story really was the most confusing fairytale conceivable.

"And what would that be?" Emma asked in a low voice, brushing her lips against his as she spoke.

"Seeing as we want to gain my family's trust, Swan, I'd say it's best if we are not wearing clothes that don't fit their rather rustic sense of fashion. Which is wonderful since I've been meaning to go after that bar wench I once kissed for a while now."

She rolled her eyes skywards and shut him up in the best way she knew, grabbing the collar of his leather jacket, pulling him to her and crashing his lips on hers, drawing his bottom lip between her teeth and promptly soothing it with her tongue, eliciting a deep groan from him in response. Always pliant to his touch, her lips parted of their own accord, letting him assault her mouth and explore every inch of it, taking control of the kiss as his strong hands roamed over her soft curves until they were both dizzy and gasping for air, momentarily forgetting they had places to be as well as a handful of clothes to steal.

* * *

"Ready to meet my family, love?"

"I am if you are." Emma said, entwining their hands together and letting him take the next step.

Killian brought their joined hands to his lips and pressed a sift kiss to her knuckles before taking a deep breath and finally knocking on the front door of the shack.

A lady who looked like she was in her forties opened the door with a kind smile, looking at the couple holding hands in front of her with a hint of _longing _in her eyes before speaking. "Can I help you?"

Emma looked at Killian to find his awestruck expression as he was absent-mindedly gaping at the lady. She cleared her throat and realised she'd have to do the talking for both of them, but she needed him to keep his act together before the woman got creeped out and shut the door on their faces.

"I hope so," Emma replied with her best smile. "My... _husband_ and I were on a journey, but we seem to have lost our way around here. Would you be so kind as to give us a place to spend the night until we find our way home?"

"I could give you directions to wherever you need to go, there's no reason you should spend another day away from home." The lady spoke in an uncertain tone, glancing at Killian's hook and looking back inside her house quickly before giving the stranger with a pointy weapon for a hand a tight-lipped smile.

"We're not from the Enchanted Forest, madam. The sun is already down and I wouldn't want to risk my wife's safety wandering around after dark at any case," Killian said in an uncommonly soft tone - the one he usually reserved for Emma only - and she noticed how afraid he must have been of his mother's judgement to be speaking like that.

"Well, any man who treats his lady well has my highest respect," the lady nodded at them with a sad smile. "Come on in you two before you get ill from that cold air. I would ask you to be mindful of the hook near my boys, sir, especially the youngest one. He's only nine and he's often running around the house with his brother right on his heels trying to get him to stay still for a minute."

Emma looked over to see Killian swallowing hard at that knowledge and squeezed his hand softly.

"I assure you I won't let your boys anywhere near the hook, madam."

"Thank you." She replied with a gentle smile, and Emma felt Killian letting out a breath he had apparently been holding. "They went outside to fetch some firewood, but they should be coming back soon." She gestured for them to follow her further into the house. "Oh but where are my manners, I believe we haven't been introduced properly yet. I'm Rose." She held her hand out in front of Killian, who looked stunned beyond his ability to speak.

"I'm Emma, Emma Swan, and it's an honour to meet you, m'am." She took the lady's hand and shook it lightly as Killian seemed to finally gather his wits.

"Charles...Swan, at your service." Killian took his mother's hand for the first time after centuries and Emma looked at him softly, wondering if he was feeling as emotionally wrecked as she certainly would if she was in his place.

"What an unusual surname, I suppose it's a traditional family name from your land..." Rose said, raising her eyebrows at them questioningly, at which Emma gave Killian an oh-so-amused glance having finally figured out where his expressive eyebrows had come from.

"We're from Arendelle." Emma replied quickly seeing as Killian was still a bit overwhelmed to think on his feet in his mother's presence.

"Arendelle? What sort of journey brings you so far from home?" Rose sounded surprised at the mention of the quite distant northern lands, and arching a single eyebrow at Emma, who could only bite her lip to keep from laughing at the unmistakable resemblance between Killian and his mother.

"We're here to celebrate our nuptials exploring new lands together," Killian said at last. He took Emma's hand and kissed it softly with his gaze locked on hers, his cheeks burning crimson when he noticed the fond way his mother was watching the two of them.

"A couple of adventurers then, are you? I'm sure Liam, my eldest boy, would love to hear some tales of your travels, if you don't mind. He's always dreamed of seeing the world and now that he's turning fifteen he's finally joining the King's navy."

Killian took a sharp intake of breath and looked away from his mother, needing a moment to keep his emotions at bay as he realised exactly _when_ they found themselves. If Liam was about to leave home for the navy, that meant he had the unique opportunity to save his older brother right in front of him. If he could only stop him from enlisting in the navy somehow, none of them would ever set foot in Neverland.

He would never have lost Liam to a ruthless king. He would never have become a pirate too blind with his own thirst for revenge to remember the _good form _his brother had taught him hoping it would guide him to an honourable path in life. He would never have run away with Milah only to watch her heart getting crushed by the Dark One before his eyes years later.

The only problem with this seemingly golden chance was that such an enormous change would certainly have a lot more consequences than he could foresee, and he wasn't entirely sure he was ready to accept those he _could_ predict.

_He would never have met Emma._

"Fifteen? Isn't that a bit too young for a boy to become a sailor?" Emma asked, drawing Killian's attention from his reverie as her voice sounded slightly too concerned for a boy who's supposed to be no more than a stranger's child to her. She met his adoring eyes and offered him a small smile when she noticed the rush of emotions flashing there.

"It used to be, dear. But our king has decided the war demands all help we can get to defeat our enemies, and Liam is more than happy to fight for peace." Rose shook her head looking visibly worried about her son before she let out a deep sigh, thankfully not noticing the low grunt of barely contained rage Killian couldn't hold back when she had said the word _peace_. "And little Killy wants to be just like him - he follows his brother around everywhere like a puppy. I'm worried how he's going to hold on tomorrow when Liam departs."

"Liam is going tomorrow?" Emma asked with wide eyes, her concern becoming even more visible in her features. "I mean, well, I'm glad we'll get the chance to meet him and tell him some stories before he goes. Right, Charles?"

"Aye, I'm looking forward to meeting your little adventurers." Killian replied before clearing his throat. "My good lady, would you mind if my wife and I got some rest for now? We're both thoroughly spent after an entire morning of wandering around those woods."

"But of course, sir. I apologise for keeping you with my idle chat." She got up from her stool and led them to a large bed at the further end of the shack. "You can use my bed for now, you two look like you could use some good sleep after all the walking you must have done. When the boys arrive we'll have supper and arrange a makeshift bed for you to lay during the night."

"Oh you don't have to apologise, it was our pleasure to talk with you...m'am." Emma chimed in, still uncertain of how to address Killian's mother.

"Thank you for your kindness," Killian added, with a somewhat reverent nod of his head to the lady before they made their way to the bed

* * *

**BOOM! Any ideas what's going to happen next? I'd love to hear from you! Cupcake kisses to you, my lovelies :) xxx**


	3. Three

**A/N: **If you're looking for all the Killian and Liam feels you could possibly imagine, plus some good old CS fluff as well, then look no further. This is it.

PS: I kindly entreat you to just go with the flow and pretend orchids were commonly grown in simple back gardens in Europe at that time. I really love the meaning of this flower so I just had to use it :)

* * *

**Chapter Three**

* * *

_But I wouldn't trade a day for the chance to say  
My love, I'm in love with you_

* * *

"Are you alright?" Emma's voice came from just below his chin, where her head was comfortably tucked in the crook of his neck while her nostrils were nearly making her high with the way they couldn't seem to ignore the deliciously overwhelming scent of _Killian_. "You've been a bit distant, like your mind is constantly drifting away."

She was right and he knew it. He'd been quite distant from the present (or _past_, depending on the way you looked at it) events, detached even, as he had let Emma lead most of the conversation with his own mother before they came to rest on her bed. Ironically enough, he'd been that way exactly because the circumstances surrounding them lied too close to his heart for comfort.

Never had he imagined he would find himself in this bizarre yet inexplicably _right_ situation, laying beside Emma in the cottage where he spent many happy years before he gave in to his sorrow and let his life be guided by darkness. He never thought he'd be right here, at his three hundred and something years of age, while a fifteen year old Liam as well as his nine year old self were probably running wild, playing around the woods somewhere. It felt domestic and cosy. It felt nostalgic and sweet. It felt like that distant, almost foreign feeling he only thought he'd be able to experience now with Emma and nobody else - it felt like _home_.

It made him wonder again - all the more painfully this time since all such thoughts were rushing to his mind in a mad frenzy while he had the privilege of holding his Swan in his arms - it made him wonder again what his life could have been like if he'd never lost his brother, if neither of them had ever joined their unprincipled King's navy and stayed home instead; settling for life as shepherds or small merchants or some sort of local work that enabled them to live nearby, so as to remain close to one another even after they started their own families, and take care of their mother together as she grew old.

And because he knew Emma was trying to make the most out of this unpremeditated trip to his past, _just as he should be doing himself_,his subconscious noted, he told her he was fine. He lied - actually, he _omitted _the truth from her, even though he knew exactly what she'd say, that a lie of omission was just as bad as any other kind of lie - and it was all he can do to keep his emotions at bay. He couldn't tell her he was seriously considering tampering with history in order to save his brother, how could he possibly tell her that?

Though he knew part of her would understand him - the part of her that would do absolutely anything and everything to help Henry, her baby brother or her parents, without even thinking of the consequences if it meant saving their lives - he was too afraid to consider what else she could say. After all, he was the one who had been chasing after her relentlessly until he finally brought her walls down, until she finally let him in and into her heart. He'd promised her that she would never lose him.

(He had silently and devotedly vowed to himself he wouldn't be another one to abandon her after she'd taken a leap of faith and bestowed her trust on him.)

He didn't wantto lose her for anything in this world, _gods_ he wished there was some way he could know for sure they would meet in any place at any time because they were just _meant to be_, but the harsh reality was - they probably would not. His reason knew better than to expect that changing the timeline so he and his brother never enlisted in the navy would still let him find a way to survive through centuries to find her and be with her.

He knew there was no way he could have both his brother (which also meant an honourable life where Captain Hook would never even have existed) and the love of his life, Emma, by his side. For he may have known love when he had Milah, but deep inside his old soul he was certain his Swan was the only one who showed him what _true love _felt like.

(He mentally laughed at himself for daring to even suppose he was worthy of such a noble sentiment. What he had with Emma was real enough, but he shouldn't go as far as saying a pirate with a blackened heart and more wasted years in his life than he'd cared to keep count of could ever have true love.)

"Okay then," Emma said in a low voice. She obviously knew there was a lot more that he wasn't saying (and not just because she was a human lie detector, but because it was _him_, and she _knew him_), but she couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like for him to be back home and see his mother's face after centuries, so she didn't press any further.

"Do you hear that?" She asked as rapid footsteps echoed through the house, joined by the thunderous, heart-warming sound of children's laughter.

"Aye. I take it Liam and I - well, the wee me - are back," he replied, decidedly staring at the roof.

"Killian." She waited until he took two deep breaths before turning to face her. "Are you ready for... this?" She tilted her head in the direction of the sounds.

"As ready as I'll ever be, love." He hadn't meant for his voice to sound so small, so defeated, but it did, and he started to move to sit up as if he just needed to get the reunion with his brother over and done with as fast as possible.

"Wait." She stopped him with a gentle but firm hand on his chest, pushing him back onto the straw mattress and letting her fingers draw circles on his chest hair as she spoke. "Maybe you should tell me more about your family before we meet the boys. It might help you feel better to let things off your chest, and... it would also be good to know which topics I shouldn't mention..." She trailed off, unsure of how to put it into words but sure that he'd get her meaning all the same.

"You mean my father leaving?" Killian said in a weak voice that sounded more like a whisper.

"Yeah. Your mother didn't say a word about him." Emma said carefully. "Is he already gone at this point?"

"Aye. It's only been four years for them - for _us _now." He cleared his throat and recollected his thoughts, summoning back to his mind memories he hadn't dared to visit in centuries. "He left because of magic, which always made me relate to Bae in some ways after he told me the Dark One chose his powers over his own son." He stopped to keep his emotions in check, clearing his throat again and licking his lips. "He was a fisherman, and he would take his fish and mother's produce to the market to earn our living. But at some point our lands weren't very fertile anymore, and mother's crops were growing less and less. Apparently we were facing our ruin, or so Liam told me. I was only five back then so I didn't understand exactly what was happening, only that one day I woke up and my father was gone. Mother said he sailed away on his boat determined to find a benevolent wizard and pay whatever price was required for him to help us. She always believed he died a hero, risking everything to save his family until a storm must have caught him off guard and that was his end."

"But you don't believe your mother?" Emma asserted more than asked, noticing the unbidden resentment flashing behind his eyes.

"I simply believe mother loved me and Liam too much to tell us the truth. Eventually I accepted the fact that our father abandoned us when we were struggling the most. Liam told me to never let her know we didn't believe her version of the story, though."

"Killian, I'm so sorry." She whispered against his skin, holding on to him as his arms tightened around her. Whether Rose or Liam were right, it wasn't up to her to decide or judge. All she could do was comfort him while he bravely revisited some of his deepest scars, partly because she had asked him to, and she hoped it was somewhat helping him come to terms with his past by accepting rather than repressing the memories.

She now understood exactly what he had meant when he said that wounds made when we are young tend to linger.

"I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to hold it together after your father left."

"For a while I kept hoping that one day father would come home. It made it easier for me at the time." He let out a huff of air and shook his head at his own childish delusion. "But Liam, he couldn't or _wouldn't _accept that our family was left to misery because our father deserted us. So he joined the Navy as early as was allowed to help mother by sending home part of his wages."

"And you followed his steps shortly after that?"

"Aye. But we had different reasons for doing so."

Emma looked at him somewhat puzzled, lacing her fingers with his and squeezing his hand lightly.

"Aside from helping us financially, Liam wanted to conquer the seas that took away mother's hope of giving us a comfortable home, while I- I still believed we would come across our father someday, find him in his fishing boat looking for whatever it was he wanted to bring home for us. But I gave up on that fool's dream soon enough after I lost Liam, too."

Emma brought her other arm up to his chest, holding his hand with both of hers as she had no words to offer him at that moment. She'd always expressed herself better with actions anyway.

"If you want to, I can go and tell Rose you're not coming for dinner because you're not feeling well."

He raised her hands to his lips, placing a soft kiss on each of them before shifting so he could look down at her. She followed his movements and met his gaze with her chin resting on his chest.

"I'm quite alright, love. And I wouldn't miss the chance of seeing my brother again for the world," he said, offering a said but genuine smile.

She cupped his cheek with one hand and brought his face down for a kiss, pouring into it all she needed him to feel, wishing he could take from her lips the strength he needed to face Liam again after watching him die in his arms. Somehow she knew it did help him, even if just a little bit.

* * *

They crossed the empty and silent living room and made their way to the back of the house, hearing two distinct voices coming from the garden. Approaching the window on the kitchen, which gave them a perfect view to the garden, they crouched together below the casement, raising their heads to peek at the scene of domestic bliss playing out before their eyes.

"Listen carefully, for I want you to remember this," Rose said from a stool where she sat tending at her flowers, directing her soft but strong voice at a baffled-looking young Killian, who stood behind her shuffling his feet adorably, not daring to come too close to the buds. "A flower as delicate and exotic as the orchid may seem frail at a first glance, my darling. But give it the right amount of love, care, and a little water, and it will thrive beautifully amongst any adverse conditions."

"But I thought roses should be your favourites, mama," the boy said, his eyebrows pinched together as a confused frown took place on his face.

"My dear Killy, your grandmother named me Rose because those were _her_ favourite flowers, not mine." She explained, playfully poking his nose after he stuck his tongue out at her use of his endearing nickname.

"Then why is it you like orchids better than all flowers?"

"Do I, now? What gave it away?" Rose said with a light chuckle, before a watery smile suddenly appeared on her lips.

"Because," Killian replied triumphantly, "there are _three times _more orchids than any other flowers in your garden, mama. I counted them all myself!"

"Did you really?" Rose arched a suspicious eyebrow at him.

"Alright, not all by myself. Liam helped. He taught me how to count larger amounts using the different types of flowers in your garden." Killian replied with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"My bright little boy, I am so proud of you. Come here, I suppose you've earned your answer more than justly." Killian came a little closer to her then, kneeling in front of the flower bed she was paying attention to as she started to tell him the story. "When your father asked for my hand in marriage he took me for a stroll and showed me this beautiful garden filled with orchids of many, many colours. It was just outside the mansion of a wealthy earl who lives close to these lands. He told me he had but his heart to offer me, but that together we could get through anything no matter how little we had." Rose sniffled softly before resuming. "He plucked a pink and a white orchid and offered them to me, asking if my hand could give him a little love, a little care, and a little water, for that's all he would ever need."

"And you replied saying _'only if I can give you my heart, too.'_" Liam entered the garden then, finishing the story he'd grown to know by heart.

"It's good to see you haven't forgotten the story, Liam." Rose turned away from her flowers and smiled at her eldest son, opening her arms to pull him into an embrace.

"Mother, you've told me that story so many times I don't think I ever could," Liam said before letting his mother hold him close.

"Well, I'm sure your shipmates would find such a tale quite entertaining during those lonely sea nights." Rose said, her wide smile suddenly morphing into an apprehensive one. "Are you sure you want to go, Liam? Don't you think you're too young to enlist?"

"I am more than ready to go, mother. I can't bear to think of what would happen to us if I don't. One day I shall be promoted Captain, and this family will never be short of food again," Liam replied in his best reassuring voice.

"It's okay mama, Liam is off to an adventure!" Little Killian chimed in with his glimmering, innocent eyes. "And if you find papa you can ask him if he still remembers the story, too!"

Liam let out a deep sigh and knelt beside his brother, gently placing both hands on his shoulders. "Killian, listen to me. Papa is not coming back. He is gone and you must understand that because I need you to take care of mama while I'm away. Will you do that for me?"

Even from a distance, Emma could observe the tears swelling on Killian's young, hopeful eyes, the overwhelming sight making her turn to look at the man crouching beside her, whose chest was heaving up and down as he chewed on his bottom lip, clearly affected by the memory playing out before his eyes. She brushed her hand down his arm before lacing their fingers together and leaning her head on his shoulder, feeling him kiss her hair before leaning his head against hers.

Little Killian nodded with a sad but serious expression on his face. "I promise I will, Liam."

"That's a good lad," Liam said, ruffling his younger brother's hair and offering him a bright grin. "I should probably finish packing my bags now as the other sailors will come get me tomorrow at an early hour. Fancy lending me a hand, Killy?"

"Of course!" Little Killian replied, clearly excited to spend as long as he could in his brother's company before he left, even if it meant they'd be doing something as dull as putting clothes into a few bags.

Emma and Killian quickly moved to duck behind the dinner table as the two boys raced each other to their bedroom. Emma got up and looked out the window to find Rose preparing to move back inside, too, so she grabbed Killian's hand and walked with him to meet the lady at the doorway to the back.

"Thank you for letting us rest on your bed, madam. We really needed a quiet moment," Emma told her with a grateful smile, while Killian, still reeling from the moving scene he'd just witnessed, nodded at his mother and promptly moved to relieve her of the heavy baskets she was carrying.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, and I hope you're ready for dinner. We can't afford many luxuries here, so I'm afraid carrot soup is all I have to offer you."

"That will be more than fine, thank you so much for having us here. We didn't want to be any trouble," Emma replied with that brilliant smile of hers.

Killian noticed she sounded more apologetic than he had ever heard in his Swan's usual accents before, feeling his heart swelling in his chest at how hard she was trying to make a good impression with his mother.

"Nonsense, you two are no trouble at all." Rose waved off Emma's embarrassment. She gestured for her to sit at the table and for Killian to drop the baskets in a corner. "I'm actually glad to have a little distraction around, otherwise I'd be too depressed over Liam's departure."

At that, Killian seemed to find his voice again, raising his head from the pile of baskets he deposited on the indicated corner to walk back to the table. "About that, have you spoken to the lad about his decision? Does he not think it's too soon for him to embark on such a risky life?"

"I have, but he seems to have made up his mind. Then again, I'm his mother," Rose said with a shrug. "Anything I tell him will only sound overprotective and biased. Perhaps you could discuss it with him after dinner, sir, if you wouldn't mind that. I'm sure he would appreciate discussing it with a grown gentleman." She averted her gave from Killian's suddenly widening eyes, which were oddly as blue as her youngest boy's, and sighed before resuming. "You see, it's been a while since my boys had a masculine figure to look up to in this house."

"It would be my pleasure, madam." Killian smiled at his mother, decidedly ignoring the pointed looks Emma was throwing his way. He could only hope she wouldn't be able to read his thoughts as long as he didn't look her in the eye.

* * *

Eventually the boys came back to join them at the table so dinner could be served, and Rose's soup turned out to be a lot more than she was giving herself credit for. Emma downed her bowl with such evident delight that the lady insisted she had some more, and Killian took care of his portion slow and quietly, savouring every spoonful that filled his stomach with a warm, sweet taste of _childhood_ \- something he hadn't tasted in more time than he could be bothered to keep track of.

As dinner went by and the adults engaged in a casual conversation about the weather and the village they were in, it seemed little Killy became instantly and helplessly enamoured by Emma. Meanwhile, Liam was decidedly inspecting Charles Swan from across the table, occasionally glancing at his younger brother and then back at the gentleman in front of him, eyeing him up and down in suspicion just like Killian had seen his Captain do countless times whenever they took a new sailor aboard The Jewel of The Realm.

Not gathering much from what his eyes could find, Liam decided he needed to know more about the stranger who was to spend the night at their home with his wife just when he was about to leave his younger sibling and his mother alone.

So the clever eldest boy asked if the couple of adventurers knew some stories to share, being quickly joined by Killy on his request, who nodded his head energetically, eager to hear their tales and hoping the beautiful blond lady sitting across from him would be the one to tell them. Much to young Killy's disappointment, which he put some effort into concealing though his involuntary pout betrayed him on the spot, Emma quickly got up from the table to help Rose clean up, kissing her _husband_'s cheek and sending him an encouraging wink as she left the boys to their stories.

Trying his best not to let the absurdity of the situation deprive him of his storytelling skills, he began to tell the boys the tale of the legendary pirate, Captain Hook, and how once he single-handedly (in the most literal way) defeated his villainous foe, Blackbeard, on a duel that earned him his marvellous ship back. When Liam raised a questioning eyebrow at him and asked if that story had anything to do with the reason why Mr. Swanhad opted for a hook instead of a fake hand, Killian laughed and admitted he'd hoped the attachment would give him some of the swashbuckling pirate's enviable talents.

(Even though she had his back turned to the table, Killian just _knew _Emma was rolling her eyes at him and holding back one of her very unladylike, yet adorable snorts.)

"That's indeed a fantastic story, sir," Liam said nodding at Killian, as if he was silently acknowledging he'd already been partially won over by the stranger. "Too bad it's not true." Clearly, he was in for a battle of wits to test the man's astuteness.

"And what makes you so sure of that, lad?" Killian quipped back, raising his own eyebrow signalling he gladly accepted the boy's final test.

"Well, for one thing I've never heard of either of those pirates." Liam had an unfazed look on his face, like he was bored out of his mind pointing out the obvious flaws on the man's tale. "But even if they do exist, nobody can possibly win a duel with only one hand. No offence."

"None taken," Killian replied with a grin, scooting closer to the edge of his chair and resting both elbows on the table, movements which Liam promptly mirrored. "But he did win that duel, as well as many other battles with the assistance of his metallic claw." Killian was whispering to the boy, careful that no one else would hear them, while Liam started to eye the hook cautiously. Killian held his breath, unsure of whether he was dreading or anxiously waiting for his brother's verdict on the pirate Captain who, for him at least, would always only exist as a fable.

Emma looked back at the table and was a bit startled to find Killian so deep in discussion with Liam that their heads were that close, while words were whispered back and forth between them. She noticed young Killy was thoroughly annoyed, to the point where he began carving pictures into the wooden table with the tip of a knife, completely ignoring his brother's private chat with the gentleman who was supposed to entertain them _both _with stories.

She looked at Killian again and found him so intent on connecting with Liam that she felt her own heart squeezing - judging from the almost pleading look on his eyes as they desperately searched for _something _in his brother's response, she thought she was right to assume they were discussing more obscure matters relating to the supposedly mythical Captain Hook than his skills with a sword.

"I suppose that makes him a clever man, but I disagree with you, sir, on the enviable part," Liam whispered back, taking the bait and swiftly turning it around on Killian.

Killian swallowed hard. "Why is that?" He asked in a suddenly hoarse voice.

"Unless he was different from all other pirates who live by exploiting honest people, making use of cunning ways to deceive all around him, and murdering innocents for their mere entertainment, I don't see why one would envy a man like that," Liam replied, crossing his arms over his chest and retreating back into his chair, his sharp eyes ready to assess the man's reaction to his bold assertion.

Emma still couldn't hear what neither of them said, but as Liam backed away she saw Killian's face crumpling with hurt and it seemed a shadow was cast over his features. She could tell his self-loathing was surfacing again and making his every muscle cringe given the way he clenched his jaw and dared not to hold his brother's piercing gaze.

"Perhaps he was different, indeed." Killian managed to reply after a few moments in a barely audible voice. "Perhaps the reason he became a pirate in the first place was to avenge the loss of a loved one, to fight a ruthless monarch who intended to build an empire on blood and misery. A king who prospered by exploiting honest people, deceiving all around him, and murdering innocents."

Emma gave Rose the last of the washed and wiped bows she'd been holding and quickly made her way back to the table, standing behind Killian and placing both hands on his shoulders, squeezing lightly in a feeble attempt to relieve some of his tension (and guilt, and regret, and pain.) She had reached them just in time to listen to Liam's reply.

"Perhaps. But I don't believe anything can fill a hole left by the loss of a loved one, sir. Much less revenge, which is only a way to get even more lost in your sorrow. But I guess I can understand why the Captain became a pirate under those circumstances." Liam sounded too wise and too just for a fifteen year old, and Killian was instantly reminded of a thousand other occasions when he admired and loved his brother so much for always being like that naturally.

But before Killian could even process the unbelievable fact that his brother was telling him face to face how he somewhat understood why he became a pirate, his younger self lost interest in his carvings with Emma's arrival, flashing her a bright grin as she moved to sit beside her husband again.

"Don't you have any other stories to tell us?" Little Killy asked, looking at Emma with big, wide puppy eyes, barely sparing a glance at Killian. "I don't see what's so important about a few planks of wood and a sail. Captain Hook could have died in that duel, why wouldn't he just give up his ship?"

"Because for him The Jolly Roger was not just a ship, my boy. She was a lot more than that," Big Killian said to little Killian, with an unmistakable note of pride in his voice, which - for a moment - Emma mistakenly understood as a sign that part of him regretted trading the Jolly for her.

"Like what?" Liam quickly added, ready to keep going with his game and extract more from the man's tales, which the latter oddly seemed to care too much about for mere fictional stories.

"It was his only means of finding his love again," Killian replied looking deep into Emma's eyes, and she couldn't help the quivering smile she gave him as she felt her tears threatening to spill over.

The younger Jones bother promptly came forward on the table, his chin inches away from resting on top of his folded arms as he regarded his older self with all the genuine interest of a child who dreamed of noble adventures.

"Darling, I think I know the perfect story little _Killy _here would love to hear." Emma said, ruffling the younger boy's hair and shooting a smirk at Killian, who didn't miss the way she seemed so very amused with the childhood moniker he had never told her about - he knew she would add it to her list of things to make jest of him with, just below the ever-so-funny topic of his age.

"Oh, what is it? Please tell me, princess!" Killy batted his eyelashes at Emma expectantly.

"I- I'm no princess, kid." She replied, feeling her cheeks burning and looking over at Killian to find a huge grin on his face, looking as though he couldn't be more proud of himself seeing the early signs of his perceptiveness on his younger version.

"But you're just too beautiful not to be one," Killy said with a sheepish smile, making the all grown-up Killian Jones blush even harder than Emma as they both saw more of his present self on the lovestruck boy than they had expected.

Killian scratched behind his ear before joining his wee self. "I'll have to agree with the lad. You are a princess, love." He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles without breaking eye contact for a second. "My Swan princess."

"Alright, alright, I'll let you two have that," Emma said with an eye roll that was meant to distract them from her deep crimson cheeks, not missing how Killian sent a conspicuous wink to his younger self, "_if _Charles here is the one who tells the story."

"Oh, what story is that?" Rose joined them at the table sitting between Liam and Killy, smiling kindly at the Mr. and Mrs. Swan and feeling extremely grateful to them for entertaining her sons on their last night together as a family before the eldest's departure. "I myself enjoy listening to tales very much, too."

Killian felt extra nervous to have his mother as an additional listener and looked at Emma a bit confused, but he knew whatever it was she was planning, he'd be helpless to deny her anything as usual. "Of course, love. Which story do you wish me to tell?"

She sent him a loving smile that had his heart jumping inside his chest before he'd even heard her reply. "The tale of the princess and the pirate."

* * *

**Review? ^-^**


	4. Four

**A/N: **I would apologise in advance for all the feels in this chapter, but honestly I'm not sorry at all. I hope you enjoy the build up as there is only the final chapter left now!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

* * *

_And I know, the scariest part is letting go_

* * *

"But, princesses and pirates can't be together. It just... it doesn't seem right." Liam pointed out, flashing an apologetic smile at Mr. and Mrs. Swan just as the former finished his tale.

Before that, Killian had an incandescent look on his face as he watched his mother and his wee self listen attentively to the story of him and Emma falling in love, with alternated wistful sighs and _aww_'s from the lady's part, and bright dimpled smiles from Killy's. Emma looked over at her pirate just in time to see his excitement fading away with Liam's comment. But before she could say anything, the youngest Jones brother was hitting his sibling's shoulder with all the force a nine-year old could muster.

"Don't say that, Liam. Of coursethey can if it's _true love_," Little Killian said, sending Liam a positively solemn look as he argued his point.

"And since when can a pirate and a princess have true love together?" Liam quipped back, and Emma could almost hear a piece of Killian's heart snapping out of place. She wasn't sure if she should say something to comfort the little boy who ran back to his mother, or the grown man sitting beside her with slumped shoulders and the most defeated look she had ever seen on his face.

"But anything is possible when it comes to true love. Isn't that so, princess?" Little Killy asked her in a shy tone, looking like he needed urgent reassurance that love was still the most powerful magic of all as he seemed to believe so deeply.

She knew it made no logical sense at all, but she could swear there was a great deal of Henry on young Killian. And for a while she let herself wonder just how many times Killian had seen the sheer innocence, faith and hope of his early years reflected on her son - if that was part of the reason why he'd always cared for Henry as if he was his own from the very start of their relationship.

"I'm sorry, Liam, but as a newly-proclaimed princess I have to say it _is _possible. Your little brother couldn't be more right." She said, taking Killian's hand and squeezing it under the dinner table.

"_Younger _brother." Both Killians said in unison, the younger boy blushing a little before turning to stick his tongue out at his brother, while the centenary pirate squeezed her hand back and nuzzled her cheek before placing a soft kiss there.

Killian pulled away to find Rose looking at the two of them with something of fondness in her eyes, who then quickly stood up, feeling more than a little embarrassed that he'd noticed her staring at them, and ushered Killy towards the room the boys shared.

"But mama, it's not fair. Liam is leaving tomorrow! Can't I stay a little longer with him?"

"Darling, if you don't go to bed soon you'll be too tired to say goodbye to him in the morning." Rose explained, kneeling beside the boy. "And you wouldn't want to miss that, would you?"

That was all the convincing the boy needed. He promptly started to bid them all goodnight one by one, leaving Emma for last and hugging her tight instead of the grown-up handshake he'd given everyone else, running off to his room with bright red cheeks immediately afterwards.

* * *

Liam was folding some last pieces of clothing on the dinner table before methodically and carefully placing them into his bag. Emma caught herself staring and averted her gaze, thinking it was probably safe to assume Killian had become the neat freak he is as a result of spending too much time with his former Captain. She then looked around for said overly organised pirate wondering if they should go to sleep, as Liam would probably want to spend some time with Rose on his last night at home. She realised he had other plans for the night when, from the corner of her eye, she saw him take a seat at the table right across from his brother - the same place where he'd sat for the entire night - even though he could have sat anywhere else as all chairs were vacant, Liam apparently preferring to fold his shirts standing.

She thought he only intended to watch his brother closely, tuck into memory a few more moments of him like this, at home and at peace, with many years ahead of him, full of hopes and dreams for his future. It wasn't until Killian cleared his throated and started asking Liam what made him decide to enlist so young that she realised he was up to something. She knew normally he would rather spend his last night with brother talking of anything _but _the profession that would bring his end much too soon (as well as Killian's own descent into a hazy, heedless path of bloodlust and revenge), but she still couldn't put her finger on the why, on where was he going with this.

And then it dawned on her, the abrupt realisation rushing into her mind and washing over her with the force of a thousand rising tides all at once, and she suddenly felt like she was struggling to keep her head above the water as she tried to teach herself the intricacy that is breathing again - only she wasn't the one drowning, it was him.

He was the one trying to talk Liam out of joining the Navy, desperately wanting to convince him to do something else entirely with his life, anything that wouldn't result in his tragic death. And she could tell he was on the verge of spilling out the truth by the deep crease on his forehead and the way the usual itch behind his ear had now piqued him into scratching his scalp with a visible agitation bordering on aggressiveness.

Killian was two breaths away from telling a fifteen year old boy that Mr. Swan, the man Liam thought was no more than a stranger with an odd, striking resemblance to his younger brother, was in fact this same brother; only this stubbled-chin-and-roguish-look version of Killian had come from the future and knew precisely how Liam was going to die in less than twenty years from now, and wanted nothing more than to stop him from jumping on the wagon that would take him and his fellow sailors to the harbour the following morning.

And even though half of her heart _knew _she would probably feel the urge to do the exact same thing if she were in his shoes, she couldn't silence the other half that was screaming for her to stop him from doing it. Because as much as Killian had the chance of gaining Liam quite a few more years right in front of him, doing so would mean changing _everything_ else. He would never have become a pirate captain, would never have fallen in love with Milah and sailed away with her, losing his first love and his hand when the Dark One found them; he would never have met Baelfire in Neverland; would never have allied with Cora to exact revenge on Rumplestiltskin 28 years later when-

_He would never have met her._

She knew it was selfish but her biggest concern wasn't that he might change the entire timeline and the consequences of such a reckless choice could include things like her parents never meeting and her never being born, or that Regina never casting a curse because she never had a grudge against Snow White, since Cora never ripped out Daniel's heart in the first place, or that Henry never got to exist because Neal never became Neal, Baelfire would have grown up at home with both his parents - none of which were one the darkest wizards that ever walked the earth.

No, self-centred and childish as it may seem, her main concern was that he would have never met her at all. That they never got to climb a beanstalk together and share much more than an adventure on the very first 24 hours of their acquaintance. That she never left him chained up at the giant's castle because, even though she'd never admit it to herself - and much less to him - she knew from the very first time he stared into her eyes and saw the same lost look he found on his own that there was something almost inconceivable pulling them towards one another. She could still remembered how for her it all started with that initially quiet buzz just beneath her breastbone, growing stronger and stronger every time she recognised something in him that somehow felt a lot like _herself_.

She still remembered her ragged breathing as he tended to her cut, his blue, blue eyes never leaving hers as he used his wicked mouth to tie his scarf around her hand, making her mind go straight to the gutter while her heart started doing a certain jumpy routine she never thought she'd feel it dancing again in her chest - every step conveying the same insistent message: _trust him_. Which was exactly why she thought that was the last thing she should let herself do.

And now she couldn't, she simply _couldn't _let him obliterate their future together like this.

But maybe she should. Maybe no matter how hard he'd worked to become a better man (_for her_, as he would always add), no matter how much he truly was a hero now, maybe nothing would make him genuinely happy as never having lost everything, never having gone astray from his original hero's journey. So Emma thought twice of it and begrudgingly accepted that this was not her decision to make.

She might be the Saviour, but she couldn't take away Killian's chance of saving himself and his own brother, even if she thought she knew what was best for him.

But, they definitely had some talking to do before he did anything, and that thought spurred her on as she approached the table and interrupted their conversation as subtly as she could, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "Ki- Charles, can we-"

"Perhaps we should leave our men to discuss their business, don't you think Emma?" Rose gently interrupted her, sending Emma an inconspicuous wink and smiling fondly at their boys, before wrapping her arm around Mrs. Swan's shoulders and leading her towards the other end of the living room. "I'm sorry, Emma. I know it might be a bit strange to you, but your husband seemed happy to have a serious talk with Liam, you know, man to man. I thought you wouldn't mind it. And they seem to be getting along so well, I couldn't believe it when Liam started telling Charles about his father. I've never seen him talk to anyone about it, apart from me or Killian occasionally."

"He did?" Emma asked, feeling her chest tighten with the painful feeling that maybe she was being too selfish thinking only of her side of all this.

"Did you not hear it?" Rose asked, and Emma told her that no, that she must have been too lost in her own thoughts to actually listen to any of their conversation. "I'd hate to see Liam go away with the Navy at such a young without having discussed his future plans with a single masculine figure before. I think my son really needs this moment, Emma."

Emma sighed, absolutely refusing to let the tears swelling up in her eyes roll down her cheeks. "I think they both need this."

* * *

**What do you think is going to happen on the last chapter? **(✿◠‿◠)


	5. Five

**A/N: In light of all the recent spoilers and the angst we're anticipating for the finale I though it was high time I gave this story the fluffy happy ending it deserves. You'll finally find out if Killian will or will not change the events to save Liam's life and also what will happen with him and Emma. I hope you like this ending - it was a pure joy to write it! Please feel free to leave your opinions and comments as I always love to hear what you think of my stories. Thank you all for reading/favouriting/following/reviewing and for going on this journey with me and these wonderful characters. Hugs to you all xoxoxo B**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

* * *

_Let my love be the light that guides you home_

* * *

"Are you certain this is what you really want, lad? A life if the Navy certainly has its glories, but it also entails a lot of toil and- and _sacrifice_." Killian cleared his throat, trying to swallow down the thick lump that had lodged itself in his throat and achieving nothing but a slightly concerned shift in Liam's countenance as he regarded him with much more openness than characterised their intercourse at the beginning of the night. It seemed he had managed to win his older brother's affections even as a roguish stranger with a hook for a hand, and he would be rejoicing over it if it wasn't for the blatant reminder that he still lose him nonetheless sitting atop the table, as Liam finished fastening the last belts around the small suitcase before finally putting it back on the floor. He heard his - _their_ \- mother sigh of relieve from the opposite end of the kitchen/living room area at that.

"With all due respect lad, I've seen how mature and sensible you are for such a young age, but I still believe you might be too young to truly understand what you're signing up for."

"I appreciate your concern and advice, sir, but I'm fairly certain I'm sure of my decision," Liam smiled at him - that kind, gentle grin he had seen him give his younger self earlier that night - and he struggled to keep his emotions in check at the realisation that perhaps his older brother recognised him in some deep level below his own awareness. It was either that, even though it seemed quite impossible (if he was being honest with himself, however, was there any part of this that did _not_ seem impossible?), or he had somehow grown in the boy as a friendly acquaintance trying to offer some semblance of career guidance whom he might remember fondly during his days at sea - or so Killian hoped.

"I don't know if you have any siblings, mr. Swan, but Killian and my mother and everything to me - they are my life. You spoke of the toil a position in the Navy entails, but I've watched my mother _toiling _to support us alone for four years now, and I won't let her labours be in vain. I understand the concept of _sacrifice _quite well, sir, as it's all I've seen mother do for me and my younger brother while our father abandoned us to our own misery. This is a sacrifice I am willing and happy to make. My wagers will help her pay our debts to the man who owns these lands, otherwise I might come home one night to find Killian and her sleeping under the shades in the woods." Liam's voice faltered near his lasts words and he cleared his throat before continuing, "I would go to the ends of the earth to protect my family, sir. I think you can understand that."

"Indeed I can, my dear boy," Killian said, throwing all caution to the wind and reaching out to gently clasp Liam's shoulder. He looked in his eyes and let his brother see all the pride and admiration he hoped were reflected in his carefully contained tears. "I, too, have a brother, you see. I lost him in a tragic accident many years ago, but I still remember that feeling very well. I would have followed him to the ends of the world."

"So you don't think I'm making a precipitated decision by leaving home so young?" Liam asked, he turned his eyes back to the man in front of him after averting his gave for a brief moment. His look was suddenly filled with uncertainty, the nervous expression in his features begging for approval as Killian realised for the very first time in his life (indeed, in all of his lifetimes he'd never known) how deeply Liam felt the absence of a father in their home to give him the proud approval he desperately needed for his decision to join the Navy for his family's sake.

"I don't think you're being precipitated at all, lad. I think you're an exquisite young man, who's been charged with a burden too heavy for your young shoulders, but who's rising up to the challenge admirably. Your mother and brother will miss you dearly, but you must know they are extremely of you. And- so am I."

The face-splitting grin Liam gave him in response almost made Killian forget himself and tell him the whole truth right then and there, the reality that this precious young man would dedicate all his future years to a cause and a figurehead that were anything but worthy paining him too much to want to let him go away the following morning. But then it finally hit him, Liam might have died because of their corrupt king and the secret purpose of their quest for the dreamshade, but that was far from being what he had dedicated his entire life to.

Liam had been an exemplary sailor, a just and strong captain, had always performed his duties in the Navy admirably well, but the reason at the heart of all his effort had always been _his family. _It was all for their mother and him, Killian Jones, who was here considering depriving his brother of the most heroic journey he had truly ever been engaged on. He couldn't take away the one thing he certainly died feeling proud of. Even if he was deeply disappointed in their king and their mission before passing, he must have known his life was never spent in vain because he did it all for his most beloved ones. He must have known - he should have known - did he know?

One thing Killian knew from the moment he laid eyes on Liam tonight was, that was most definitely not wasting his one and only chance to make a huge difference in his brother's life - and death.

* * *

She was lying on the makeshift bed they would have for the night when he walked through the door, offering her one of those devastating grins of his, to which she huffed and rolled her eyes in dismissal.

"What's wrong, Swan?" His voice was soft and his question was even softer as he crossed the distance between them to sit on the bed beside her. He offered his hand to help her sit up and watched her ignore it with an accusatory set of her eyebrows directed at him.

"You know what's wrong. You're trying to change things so Liam won't start in the Navy tomorrow and you didn't even think of talking to me about it before you- before you messed with the entire timeline of events?"

Killian simply watched her, barely concealing his astonishment as his eyebrows went up almost reaching his hairline.

"Well, don't look so surprised, pirate. I'm not the only open book here, I thought you'd figured that one out already."

"That you know me better than I know myself at times? Aye, love, that I know," he offered with a gentle smile. "I'm afraid I'm not as surprised as much as confused by what you mean."

"What? You don't think I deserved to know what you were planning on doing before you changed everything and," she paused to close her eyes and let out a shaky breath, "and practically _erased us_ from the story book?"

Killian folded one leg beneath him, turning so he could face her properly as he finally understood the reason she was so mad at him. "Emma, I-" he said, reaching out to take her hand in his.

She withdrew her hand abruptly, watching as his face fell and he looked every bit as devastated as when she had left him chained up in the giant's castle. She had to tell him, though. And she didn't know how much time together they had left until- she didn't even know what would happen.

Would their future selves vanish into thin air as Killian's story was re-written from the day Liam did _not _enlist in the Navy onward, or would they still get to go back to the future only to find out then how much had changed?

She had no idea. So she had to tell him - just in case.

"No, just- just hear me out, okay?" Her voice was gentle, which earned her a hopeful look from bright blue eyes before he nodded, allowing her to speak her thoughts as she wished. "I know this might sound horrible and selfish of me to say, but I don't want- I didn't want you to convince Liam not to join the Navy and change his entire life. I didn't want you to do it, because that means your life will change completely and that might mean we won't ever even meet, as I'm sure you're aware," she said calmly, as if she had spent the past couple of hours worrying about their future (about whether they would still have one) and planning her words carefully while he talked with Liam.

_Which was probably exactly what she did_, Killian thought as a pang of guilt surged in his heart. He should have told her of his intentions, of what he was considering doing before he had made his decision. Trusting that she wouldn't leave him for his past sins with the more she knew about his history was still a relatively new notion to him. But telling her he had considered, even if only for a few hours before he had changed his mind, jeopardising all they had worked so hard to build between them - somehow telling her felt even worse than just thinking it, perhaps because it made his momentary seem more real and tangible.

"But Killian, that doesn't mean I don't understand why you'd want it. To be honest, I'd want to do the same if I were in your place," she resumed, her words coming out in a rushed succession, as if he was terrified of taking too long - wasting too much precious time - with this conversation.

_Which, again, was probably exactly why she was so agitated, _Killian thought, _and it was him who had caused her distress. _He wanted nothing more than to soothe the creases etching into her forehead and pull her into his arms at that moment, but he knew she would only begin to feel calmer once she had let it all off her chest.

"I don't know if I would do it, but that's beyond the point," she took his hand and offered him a sad smile, which instantly produced a mirroring one on his face. "This is your decision to make, and I won't blame you if you choose to save your brother. I just wish you'd come to talk to me before you spent hours talking him out of enlisting tomorrow. We are a team, Killian. I'm here to support you and stay by your side in exactly this sort of situations. I could have helped you talk to him, I don't know. The point is, I wish you had a little more faith in me - in _us _\- than to feel like you had to hide something this big from me."

He nudged her shoulder with his in jest, looking at her with a lopsided grin before speaking. "Are you quite done, darling?"

"Yes, I believe I am. You can talk now, _Mr. Swan_," she smirked back at him for a moment before her face turned serious again, no doubt preparing herself for his words - or the words she thought she was going to hear.

"You are right, Emma. I should have confided in you when I was planning on doing just that. I should have, how did you put it, had a little more faith in you - _us_," he began saying, his eyes locking with hers while his thumb caressed the back of her hand tenderly. "I knew you would understand my intentions, but I was afraid of letting you down for, yes, I was aware changing Liam's life would likely prevent us ever meeting centuries afterward."

Emma looked down at their entwined hands before nodding sadly at him. She couldn't look him in the eye, not while he said he was going to throw their relationship away for his brother's life. She did understand his choice, with all of her heart, she genuinely wasn't blaming him for it. But that didn't mean it hurt less to hear it.

"Which is why I decided not to do it, after all. Well, part of the reason anyway."

Her head immediately snapped up to meet his eyes again, and he felt her tighten her grip on his hand while she searched his eyes for any signs that she had heard it wrong.

"Killian... what are you saying?"

"When I was talking to Liam I wasn't exactly trying to change his mind," he started explaining as he saw her face morph from despair and worry to relief and- and something he was still too afraid of being wrong about to name love_. _"I was questioning his reasons to want to do so. Enlist, that is. I learned more about my brother and what he carried in his heart in these last hours than in the centuries I spent mourning his death."

Emma lifted her free hand to cup his cheek, smiling fondly at him. "I'm really happy to hear that, Killian."

"Aye, as was I to realise it. But, Emma, even before my conversation with Liam I wasn't sure I would go through with my plan of altering the timeline to save him. Had I not understood his reasons to want to go tomorrow morning, I still don't think I would have done it." He released her hand to finally give into the urge to thread his fingers through her hair and pull her into a kiss. "_I _can't lose _you, _too, my love."

* * *

_"Well, uh, thanks for the talk, sir," Liam said, his words laced with an awkward tone as he hauled his small suitcase to its waiting place by the front doot, from where he would take it in the morning. "I really do appreciate it."_

_"It was my pleasure, lad," Killian smiled at him. Liam was so young, but so grown up at the same time, it made him wish his younger self would have the maturity of his older brother to give his mother the comfort he knew she would need in the months - and years - to come. "I wish you all the best in your travels."_

_Liam nodded and started making his way to the bedroom he would share with his little- younger brother for the last time._

_"Liam, wait," Killian called him back, hastening to catch up with the boy before he reached the door to his room. "I hope you know, what you're starting tomorrow morning, is a true hero's journey."_

_The boy tilted his head at that, regarding him with a slightly puzzled expression._

_"A hero's journey? Hm," he mused aloud, "I hadn't thought of it that way, Mr. Swan, but... I quite like the sound of it. Thank you." He then stepped forward to give Killian a tight hug, the hug of a boy who might miss a father figure to look up to, but who wouldn't let that stop him from being the hero his family needed._

_"A hero's journey," Killian heard the boy repeating just before he entered his shared bedroom and closed the door behind him._

_"Aye, Liam. A true hero is what you've always been, brother."_

* * *

"Goodbye, Liam. It was great meeting you," Emma said as she received a quick goodbye hug from Killian's teenage older brother. "Good luck with everything and, take care of yourself."

"I will. Thanks Mrs. Swan," he smiled back at her.

"Don't you ever forget, Liam-" Killian began saying before his adorably insufferable brother cut him off.

"A hero's journey, I know. I won't forget it. Thank you for all the advice," Liam replied, surprising everyone when he stepped up to give Mr. Swan a visibly affected goodbye hug.

Emma watched them feeling tears prickle at the corners of her eyes, wondering if Killian could still remember the last time he had hugged his brother before today when she suddenly saw a delicate white handkerchief being offered to her. She took it gratefully, thanking Rose with a watery smile before dabbing at her eyes carefully in the best way she thought a lady of that time would do.

"I don't know how I held myself together and didn't burst into tears when he hugged me," Rose shared, sniffing softly with every few words. "I have to look strong for Killy's sake. You saw how the poor thing was."

"Will he be okay?" She had felt her heart breaking in two when she say the younger Jones brother running back inside with tears streaming down his face after his brother had hugged him goodbye.

"I'm sure he will. All things heal with time, dear. Just like no flower blossoms forever, there's no cut that won't stop bleeding," Rose said, the wisdom gathered from years of experience raising two boys on her own shining in her deep blue eyes. Emma already knew she would miss Killian's mother when they got back to Storybrooke. _If _they got back, actually. They still had no clue how to reopen the time portal.

She looked away from Rose just in time to see Liam whispering something to Killian before pulling away from their embrace. He jumped aboard the wagon and sat beside his fellow sailors, waving and smiling to his family - Emma and Charles Swan included - all the way until the road took a turn and he disappeared from their collective vision.

* * *

A few hours later, Rose had left Emma and Killian alone in the cottage as she went to the local market to find some bread for their lunch, forcing Killy to come with her so he would finally leave his room and breath some fresh air. The little boy finally emerged with bright red rims in his eyes revealing just how much he was already missing his older brother.

Before he stepped out of the door to meet his mother on the front, Emma called him and knelt before him. "Hey, Killy, you know something? Liam might be far away but he will never forget you," she spoke softly to him, her fingers darting forward to play with his thick hair strands before she even realised it. "You'll always be with him, wherever he goes, just as he will always be with you, too."

"How?" He tilted his eyes and raised a confused eyebrow at her, at which she couldn't resist poking this adorable puppy-eyed version of her pirate in the nose.

"Right here." She took his tiny hand and placed it in his chest, right above his heart. "The ones we love never really leave us, Killian. They're always with us, in our hearts."

Little Killy grinned and threw his arms around her neck, always knocking both of them backwards onto the floor in the process before pulling away with a sheepish look. "I should go meet mother now. Goodbye, princess. Bye, Mr. Swan."

She watched him run off and take Rose's hand before walking along the overgrown road with her. Turning around, she found Killian looking at her with sparkling eyes and that soft smile she was knew was for her eyes only to see.

"Should I feel jealous you're more affectionate with my wee self than with this dashing old pirate here?"

"That's hardly true, dear," Emma replied in her typical mocking tone.

"Oh, is that so?" He poked her in the nose before letting his arms dart around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. "Prove it then, Swan."

"Gladly." She grabbed the collar of his "borrowed" coat and brought him down for a hungry, searing kiss that rivalled their first one in Neverland in passion. Not that they hadn't enjoyed the unexpected trip to the past, but it had been too long since the last time they had found a quiet moment for themselves without having to worry about being interrupted by some urgent call or inconvenient eyes.

"So," Emma said, her voice coming out hoarse and small as she was still panting from their kiss, "aren't you going to tell me what Liam whispered to you before he left?"

.

_"You and Mrs Swan are quite the team. I'm very happy to have met the both of you, Charles," Liam said, immediately blushing at his absent-minded use of the older man's first name. "Uh, what I wanted to say is, I know you made up those stories last night to entertain us. But if you truly were the Captain Hook from your as your peculiar attachment would suggest, then I would have to agree with little Killy. This princess would certainly be his true love so, uh, take good care of her, sir," he finished awkwardly, feeling more than a little embarrassed at his own impulse to act protective of the kind lady. He had no idea what had compelled him to address the man in such a familiar tone, but whatever it was, it had somehow felt right._

_He knew Mr. Swan felt the same when he saw the emotion behind his eyes as he nodded at him and vowed, "I will take care of her, Liam. I promise."_

.

Killian felt his cheeks start to burn, knowing they were turning red when he couldn't resist the sudden need to scratch that spot behind his ear. "He, uh, said he was very glad to meet us and asked me to take good care of the good princess Swan."

Something in the smirk he had on as he finished speaking must have given him away, for Emma folded her arms across her chest and gave him _that _look. "Are you sure that's all he said?"

"Well, erm," he cleared his throat. Killian Jones did _not _stutter. (Only on occasion as it seemed.) "He might have said something about agreeing with his younger brother that said princess was Captain Hook's true love."

Emma's mock-glare was completely disarmed as she moved closer to him, resting her hands on his shoulders when he leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "And what does Captain Hook himself think?"

She was looking at him with the same bewildered look as when he told her he had traded his ship for her, and he swore to all the gods above that he would spend the rest of days making sure this woman never doubted the depth of his feelings for her again.

"He thinks Liam and my wee self couldn't be more right," he said, running a soft trail down her left arm with his fingertips until he reached her hand and laced their fingers together. "Emma, I've known this for a while now, and I think it's about bloody time I told you. I don't you to ever doubt my feelings for you, love."

"But I don't-"

"Just hear me out, okay?" He echoed her own words back at her, giving her a peck on her cheek when she finally nodded. "I've been battling my own demons for centuries, and you know there is plenty of things in my past I wish I could change. Losing Liam used to rank at the top of that list. Now, well, now there's no list anymore. I've finally come to terms with my brother's death, and that made me realise there's nothing I'd want to change in my life. All I've done, who I've been, the life I used to lead, it all brought me to you, Emma. That's why I wouldn't change a bloody think. You are my happy ending, Emma."

She could only gape at him paralysed in shock, the immensity of his words washing over her and threatening to make her knees go weak. She was scared for a few moments, but when no fear came she realised she had been scared of being afraid of his feelings, of wanting to run away from him again. But she didn't. All she wanted to do was let him know, with less words and more actions, that she very much felt the same way.

"Killian..." Her words failed her, but she found herself slowly drawing courage from how steady his gaze was on hers as he squeezed her hand gently.

"You know, Swan, I didn't know how much I needed to see my brother again, to understand him better, until we ended up here by accident. I can finally let go of the sorrow and carry on knowing he didn't die in vain," he said, releasing her hand to brush his knuckles against her cheek tenderly. "I wouldn't want to share this experience with anyone else. Thank you for jumping into the portal after me, love."

"You jump, I jump," Emma said with a smile, making a mental note to watch Titanic with him on Netflix when they had a chance.

"That I promise you, Swan."

"I love you," she found herself breathing the words to him out of a sudden, without even thinking, just _feeling_ as they rose in her chest and got too big, too strong, too much to be contained inside any longer. It was a low, delicate whisper that he could have easily missed it if he wasn't already so close to her face. She discovered their incredible lightness on her tongue - saying them out loud had felt so natural and easy that she suddenly needed to say them again. Holding his face with both hands, she beamed at him saying, "I love you, Killian. You're my happy ending, too."

Truth be told she had been expecting a kiss that would leave her breathless again, but it was the opposite of an unpleasant surprise when he pulled into his arms and let out a shaky breath against her shoulder, nuzzling her neck and leaving a trail of feather-light kissed there as he kept breathing her in. He continued on leaving kisses along her jaw, cheeks, nose, and stopping as his mouth was mere inches away from hers.

"And I love you, Emma. Always have, always will," he whispered, his lips brushing against hers with every word before he finally kissed her.

When a single tear found its way down Emma's cheek as their lips connected at last, he felt a new, calming sort of warmth spreading quickly between them before a gust of wind passed them by. He would have thought their feet were lifting off the ground if only he was able to form any coherent thoughts at the moment. Nothing else in the world mattered, so they kept following the familiar steps of their favourite dance as their lips met again and again, their bodies swaying slowing to the beat of their swelling hearts.

Suddenly someone was clearing their throat deliberately loudly right next to them. He felt Emma pulling away before he opened his eyes to see her parents, Henry and Regina standing around them in a semi circle, noticing with more than a little surprise that they were back in the Charmings' loft in Storybrooke.

"We're back," Emma announced more to herself than anyone in particular, tightening her grip on his coat's lapels as confusion spread over her face. "Wait, we're back? How?"

"With blood magic and true love's kiss," Henry chimed in, running towards them to hug Emma and surprising Killian when he wrapped one arm around his middle, too. "I missed you, both of you."

Emma watched Killian squeeze his eyes shut, no doubt to prevent his own emotions from taking liquid form, as he wrapped his hooked arm firmly around her son's shoulders, his right one placed firmly on her back and bringing the three of them into a huddle. "We missed you too, kid."

"Aye, we both did," Killian added, his voice just a tiny bit tearful.

"Wait, Regina, explain that," Emma said, after leaving Killian and Henry's cocoon of arms and love to enter her parents's. "You said you brought us back with blood magic and..."

"True love's kiss, that's right," Regina replied matter-of-factly.

Emma turned around to look at Killian, who was blushing even harder than when he reported Liam's opinion of their true love status to her. She all but ran into his arms then, a huge smile on her face as she let him hold her close, pulling away to look in his eyes and watch her feelings mirrored back in his bottomless baby blues.

"Since you're the product of true love, it's possible to track you down wherever you are using the blood from your progenitors - the original true loves, if you will," Regina explained, not caring that neither Emma nor Killian seemed to be paying attention. They looked so sickeningly sweet she thought needed to keep talking otherwise she might feel physically sick in the stomach. "When you shared your next true love's kiss after I'd gotten your parents' blood I was able to use a wand Belle found in the pawn shop to bring you two back. But as you're clearly not interested in the schematics, I guess we should all just give you a moment."

"Yes, we'll be down at Granny's," Mary Margaret offered, and Emma could hear the smile in her face without even looking away from Killian's eyes. "Meet us there in 15?"

"Sure, mum. We'll be there," Emma said as everyone was leaving the loft and spilling into the small corridor before the stairs of their building.

She could distinctly hear Regina muttering _we don't make eyes my ass_ while her father closed the door, which he didn't do before sending Killian a warning look.

"So, it appears Liam was right after all," Killian said, smiling shyly as he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "True love, uh?"

"Don't forget _Killy _was the first one to call it," Emma smiled back, grabbing a hold of his hook with her left hand.

"Aye, I always told you I was quite perceptive," he pointed out with an emphatic raise of his left eyebrow. "How do you feel about it, Emma? Are you-"

"Happy? Not really." She let her eyes search his face for a few moments in mock reflection before putting him out of his misery. "I'd say _perfect _is more accurate."

"Good," he replied, before pulling her against his chest and dipping her abruptly, kissing her senseless until she could feel, see and think of nothing but his love for her. "I hope that's an acceptable Valentine's day present according to your realm's traditions."

"What?"

"It's today, love. Exactly two days ago I gave you the orchids, I had planned to give you a card yesterday and was going to take you out on our second date tonight," he explained with somewhat of a bashful grin. "I'm afraid with our unexpected trip I forgot to make the reservations."

"That doesn't matter, Killian. I can't believe you even thought of doing all that." She kissed him softly before murmuring a _thank you _against his lips. "And I told you, I'm already perfect just by being with you. I don't need anything else." She scrunched up her nose in thought, before deciding to amend her statement. "Except maybe a grilled cheese with onion rings."

Not letting her get away from his arms just yet, he pressed a loud, sloppy kiss against each her cheeks and then her a final one on her lips. "As you wish, m'lady."

* * *

**I hope you're all feeling like it's Valentine's day in May, because after this I certainly am! A cupcake for a review? *bats eyelashes***


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